Archive for September, 2015
So where is Stella Creasy in Labour’s new Shadow Cabinet?
September 15th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
Labour’s new leader Jeremy Corbyn has chosen his new Shadow Cabinet. It’s very large (31 including him) and has women in half the positions, but the women members are not in the top posts and some of the positions have no equivalent in the Government’s Cabinet. Notable by her absence is Stella Creasy. Almost five […]
Posted in British current affairs | Comments (0)
24 things that Jeremy Corbyn believes
September 14th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
The Labour Party has a new leader – someone most of the public had never heard of until a few months ago and someone with whom most Labour MPs have never had a serious conversation. So understandably there is a lot of interest in his political beliefs and positions. The BBC has helpfully compiled a list […]
Posted in British current affairs | Comments (0)
How should real-life gangsters be portrayed in film? – my review of “Legend”
September 14th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
My weekend cinema-going was to see Tom Hardy play both the Kray twins in “Legend”. You can read my review here.
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
A review of a new(ish) history of the Second World War
September 13th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
My summer reading has been a book that I’ve owned for four years but not read until now because the main text is 600 pages: “The Storm Of War” by British historian Andrew Robert. Yet 600 pages is not a lot to cover something as long and involved as the Second World War and I have […]
Posted in History | Comments (0)
Is Jeremy Corbyn really unelectable as Prime Minister?
September 12th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
I fear so – which is why he only had my last vote on the ballot paper in the Labour leadership election. I would love to be proved wrong but, taken together, the 10 factors identified in this thoughtful piece make me believe that the 2020 General Election is already lost for Labour unless there is […]
Posted in British current affairs | Comments (4)
The good news: your chance of a violent death has never been less in the whole course of human history
September 12th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
For all the tragedy in the world, we need to remind ourselves constantly that we live in the most peaceful period of human history in terms of the chance of facing a violent death. This was demonstrated by American psychologist Steven Pinker in his 2011 book “The Better Angels Of Our Nature” and he has […]
Posted in World current affairs | Comments (0)
Two new film reviews: “Trainwreck” and “Whiplash”
September 11th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
My film viewing this week could not have involved more different works – but then I have wide tastes when it come to the movies. “Trainwreck” [my review here] is a coarse romantic comedy, while “Whiplash” is a tough depiction of a young man suffering for his art [my review here].
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
My 27th short story: “A Shot In The Dark”
September 11th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
Each Friday, I highlight one of my collection of self-written short stories. If you’ve read a few of them, you’ll know that the subject matter and style vary a lot. This week’s story, entitled “A Shot In The Dark”, is rooted in the Arab/Israeli conflict and raises some moral questions. You can read it here.
Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (0)
Are we about to see the greatest voter disenfranchisement in British history?
September 10th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
In most democracies, voting rights were not freely given to all adults but had to be fought for over centuries. People around the world think Britain has an long-established democracy but, as Antonia Fraser set out so brilliantly in her book “Perilous Question: The Drama Of The Great Reform Bill 1832” [my review here], before the Act only […]
Posted in British current affairs | Comments (0)
10 reasons to love Autumn
September 9th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
I sometimes advise visitors to Britain that we have four seasons – but on occasions we have them on the same day. Certainly our weather is very variable because of our geographical location between the Atlantic Ocean and Continental Europe, but generally our seasons come and go on schedule. So let’s enjoy the delights of […]
Posted in Environment | Comments (0)